The district of Forchheim as a shining example

25.06.2024

Source: Energie & Management Powernews

The district of Forchheim (Bavaria) has completely converted to LED street lighting. 13,000 lights have been modernized 

The municipalities in the district of Forchheim are setting a shining example in the LED conversion: As the first Bavarian district, the street lighting in all 28 municipalities has been converted to efficient LED technology. Bayernwerk Netz GmbH and Stadtwerke Ebermannstadt - the two network operators in the district - celebrated this at a joint meeting with Bavaria's Environment Minister Thorsten Glauber.

Until a few weeks ago, there was a lot going on in the district of Forchheim: lifting platforms and fitters moved from one street lamp to the next to replace the light sources. Now the campaign is complete: Every single street light in public spaces has now been converted to energy-saving LED technology. The conventional lamps have been replaced by modern LEDs. "This is an investment in climate protection and a great success for the entire district," explains Jürgen Fiedler, Managing Director of Stadtwerke Ebermannstadt.

At the joint event in Ebermannstadt, this "milestone in Bavaria's energy transition", as Bayernwerk calls it, was celebrated with mayors, Deputy District Administrator Otto Siebenhaar and Minister of State Thorsten Glauber. 

"Good projects attract a lot of interest and motivate people to follow suit. We need good role models for effective climate protection. Ebermannstadt and the district of Forchheim are leading the way with the LED conversion," emphasized Glauber.

"This means that we are still completely on schedule on our way to the 100 percent LED quota for the whole of Bavaria in 2026," said Bayernwerk CEO Egon Leo Westphal at the event. Around 500,000 of the 650,000 lights in Bayernwerk's area of responsibility are currently equipped with LED technology. The 13,000 lights converted in the district of Forchheim will save a good 2.5 million kWh of electricity per year, which corresponds to a savings potential of around 910 tons of C02. For comparison: One hectare of forest stores 13 tons of CO2 per year.

Author: Günter Drewnitzky